K-Rino Interview at HIPHOP4EVA

http://www.phorumz.com/hiphop4eva-about8258.html

HIPHOP4EVA (ThaHed): For the folks that don’t know about the SPC and K-Rino, let them know what is, and how things started off

K-Rino: The SPC stands for South Park Coalition. It’s an organization of artist from a hood in Houston called South Park but over the years we’ve expanded outside our hood and our city and now the country can’t even hold us. We boast such artists as Ganksta N.I.P, Point Blank, Klondike Kat, Dope-E and plenty more, not to mention the fact that now with the game being as industry oriented as it is, the SPC also has other specialists (web designers, producers, and promoters) and affiliates in all facets of the business. Oh and killers in the streets.

HIPHOP4EVA (ThaHed): (laughs) Who were your musical influences coming up?

K-Rino: It started out being singers like Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Prince, then as Hip Hop came to birth, my early influences were Run-DMC, T-La Rock, Sugar Hill Gang, KRS-One to name a few. Sam Cooke is also a major influence, along with Dolemite.

HIPHOP4EVA (ThaHed): Alot of true hip hop heads regard you as one of the coldest lyricists to ever bless the mic, how does it feel to be held in such a category?

K-Rino: It’s a blessing to be mentioned as one of the best… that was always my goal from the start but that term “the best” or one of the best is relative. It depends on who you ask. Theres alot of people who never heard of me, so to them its like how can he be one of the best…he ain’t known everywhere or he ain’t sellin many records. I strive to be the best, but if i can just be mentioned with the best when its all said and done, i’d be cool with that. My body of work gives me a valid argument to stand next to anyone in history and im not referring to sales. I’m basing things on the fact that if you gage any artist in the game, i don’t think theres too many MC’s in the game that have been as good as me for as LONG as i have. Cats have dropped a good CD or 2 and eventually fall off. Not many drop project after project and consistently bring high level lyricism time after time. I compete against myself from album to album, also im competing against the field.

HIPHOP4EVA (ThaHed): You drop a lot of knowledge in your songs and are a great storyteller and very creative, what influences you to make those type of tracks? do you read alot?

K-Rino: Storytelling is a lost art in rap. Not many do it anymore. Storytelling is a testament to a writer’s creativity, all great writers have a great imagination. So you have to be able to create a plot that people can visualize. With a movie, you can see whats going on but when you can make someone see what you’re saying as you’re saying it, then thats a special talent. The knowledge comes from my roots in Hip Hop. In the beginning there were songs like “The Message”, “The Breaks”, then Public Enemy, KRS, X-Clan…those groups raised social consciousness in rap and thats the era i came up in, so naturally i understand the obligation to teach in my music, words are powerful and the things you say carry weight. I had to evolve and im still growing to where i dont get too wild anymore because i’ve corrupted enough minds. (laughs)

HIPHOP4EVA (ThaHed): What do you think of the southern hip hop scene, and the mainstream scene right now, how does it feel that Houston is getting alot of love of late in the mainstream?

K-Rino: It’s cool that Houston is gettin its shine. I have no problem with the Southern scene other than the fact that boys are talkin’ about the same stuff on every song. It’s too redundant, theres no versatility. Mainstream is messed up because they only seem to focus on one type of Rap and that has made the rest of the world look at us like all we’re about is grills, cars, and all that other trash that they rap about out here. I think the majors should expand and broaden their search and go for more substance and im not saying that so they can sign me, i could care less. I’m speaking more for those up and coming cats who ain’t on that lollypop rap and are talkin about somethin’.

HIPHOP4EVA (ThaHed): With Texas and the South finally kickin down mainstream doors, and If the situation was right would you ever make the move to a major label? or even say a label like Rap-A-Lot?

K-Rino: Yeah if the situation was right. I wouldn’t have a problem with a major unless they tried to change me and that would be understood out the gate. If they can’t accept me as i am, then i cant sign with them. Don’t look at me and say he’s good but if we just alter him here or there he’ll fit our roster. Nah it ain’t no altering me. You take me as i am or not at all. As for Rap-A-Lot, that’s respect right there, they started it all for us out here. If it wasn’t for J-Prince it wouldn’t be no Houston, he’s a mogul and a G. So if he came at me i know he wouldn’t try to change me because he’s a underground cat himself, if he dropped the first N.I.P. album and the first Terrorist album, he shouldn’t have no problem with my subject matter. (laughs)

HIPHOP4EVA (ThaHed): Why do you think there is so much beef right now in Houston? what is the solution?

K-Rino: With talent comes sucess, with sucess comes competiton, with competition comes beef. Everybody wants to be No.1 and the quest to hold that spot often leads to egos gettin in the way. It’s not a bad thing as long they keep it music, so far Houston has done that, the only thing i don’t like is that everybody talks all this trash on records to each other but why don’t they square off face to face and battle like we used to do it? Could be good for both have a battle at a big club and donate the money to a good cause. Like the homeless or somethin’. I think boys be scared of gettin’ they careers ended.

HIPHOP4EVA (ThaHed): A while back you had a record about Eminem and his comments towards Black women. Has there been any response from his camp or have you had a chance to speak with him? For the people that don’t know tell us why you made the song

K-Rino: I made that song because of a song that he did back in the day making racial comments about black women. I saw no one from the mainstream defending the situation so I had to speak on it. I’m an underground dude so i’m not even sure if he’s heard it. But the point was, I wasn’t gonna’ go down in history as not saying anything. I don’t care anything about that dude. He show his true self when he did that and tried to justify it by saying he was young or whatever but I ain’t trippin’ homie. People thought I did it to gain exposure but that had nothin’ to do with it. I don’t roach like that. I earn whatever i get. I don’t have to piggybank off of him or no one else. I roll with the Nation of Islam, F.O.I., Black Panthers, Black Nationalists, so how can I not come to the aid of my sisters. I’m guilty of disrespecting them myself on certain songs but i’m growing and i’ll never try to justify it. I did wrong and i was stupid but it’s like your family members, y’all might beef with each other but you ain’t gonna let nobody else ride on ‘em. I ain’t sayin’ this from a racist point of view but rap is an artform derived from black culture, so for him being white and to come in and disrespect black women like he did, that was a line he shouldn’t have crossed, so take it how you wanna’ take it. Who ever don’t like what i said and what i did, too bad.

HIPHOP4EVA (ThaHed): Alot of fans on the site were wondering whats going on with Z-Ro and you and what can we expect in the future from y’all and how did y’all hook up?

K-Rino: Ro is my little brother. We got several songs together that nobody has heard. I don’t know what CD’s they’ll go on, hopefully y’all can hear them soon. We talked about doin’ a project. Hopefully it’ll go down. That’s a cat who always looked out for me, when my buzz was gone and his was at his peek, he always reached out to me and put me in some paper or gave me a good look. So i got nothin’ but love for that boy and Trae.

HIPHOP4EVA (ThaHed): Also the fans were wondering if you would ever work with Scarface and Chamillionaire, are any works a possibility in the near future?

K-Rino: Those are 2 cats who i really respect and i wouldn’t have a problem workin’ with any of them. Face is my homie from way back and Cham is a young cat that i’ve only met a couple of times but it was always mutual respect and im happy for everything that he got going on right now. Cham is the guy that im really rooting for because he represents what the city of Houston used to be about before all the nonsense.

HIPHOP4EVA (ThaHed): Your new album Time Traveler is hitting the streets right now and for a couple minutes, give us the scoop on that, who is featured on there, production and guests, what type of feel is it on?
K-Rino: The new album is a deep cd. It’s not for the surface dwellers. I cover alot of real topics on this one. It’s kinda dark in my opinion but the words are heart felt lyrics from me that will touch you if you open yourself up for understanding. Dope-E produced most of the album but my homies Big Doc, Black Mike and Codeen laced up some heat too. Z-Ro acted a fool on a cut lyrically and production wise.

HIPHOP4EVA (ThaHed): How do you feel in ranks with last years Worst Rapper Alive and your previous works?

K-Rino: It’s right there, i don’t usually compare and i don’t think its fair to compare CD’s. That’s like a movie and the sequel, folks always wanna say this or that one was better but my CD’s are like children you might have 8 children but you love ‘em all equally. They’re different, all my albums have different personalities. Worst Rapper Alive was a very diverse CD. I put alot of lyrics and topics on that one as i do on all of ‘em.

HIPHOP4EVA (ThaHed): I want to talk about the song “Politricks” that is one of my many favorites off of Time Traveler, how do you feel about politics in todays society and what do you think will it take to effect change? Would you ever consider being a politician?

K-Rino: I’m not down with the current politics. The Bush administration has failed greatly in making America better for all classes of people. The agenda that they tell us they have and the one they secretly have are totally different. Change has to start with the people placing a demand on government officials on a national and local level. Dissatisfaction brings about change and right now the masses are in a state of dissatisfaction. People speak about the revolution all the time but true revolution begins in the mind. Tight rhyme huh? i might use that (laughs). I wouldn’t personally get into politics because i believe that religion and politics dont mix and i consider myself to have a little religion. Politics is the process of tryin’ to please the people and religion is about pleasing GOD. It’s a conflict of interests.

HIPHOP4EVA (ThaHed): For me it has been hard to find your albums in stores, especially outside of the United States, so for the folks that don’t know how can they get your album(s)? whether it be online or ordering from stores?

K-Rino: If the store ain’t got it, come to southparkcoalition.com and order through PayPal or money order. It shouldn’t ever be a problem for anyone to get my music. If you dont have it, that means you dont wanna come off the bread or you don’t have the bread or you’re lazy or you’re a bootlegger. I’m tired of those cats too. That’s the ultimate disrespect to an artist that you claim to like, when you steal his/her music.

HIPHOP4EVA (ThaHed): The Source recently made a Texas issue, which did not include you or any SPC artists on the cover, do you feel that the SPC and yourself aren’t respected by Hip Hop publications, especially when regarding Texas Hip Hop?

K-Rino: Well i was called for the photo shoot then told i would receive an email with the info on where to come and the time. They never called me with that info so i missed the shoot, not like i really cared. I didn’t ask to be in it in the first place but dont call me then be unprofessional about it. They always disrespect the SPC when they have those so called “Houston specials” whether it be in Magazines or T.V. it’s like they try to write us out of history when we were the first click to have the city and the south on fire in this underground. No radio play, or videos and still had it on lock back in the days. Many major artists have been influenced by the SPC some will admit it, some won’t but it pisses me off when they come down here and nobody even stops to say “Hey somebody call K-Rino, or N.I.P. or Blank and let’s get their side of the story”. That’s why i wrote the song on Worst Rapper Alive called “No Love”. That’s a slap in the face to us. We started this thing in Houston along with the Geto Boys and Street Military. Much love to Matt Sonzala for always keepin it real though.

HIPHOP4EVA (ThaHed): Whats going on with the SPC? new additions? what is Ganksta N.I.P. up to and the whole crew?

K-Rino: The only new additions to the SPC have been international affiliates and other specialists pertaining to the business. No new rappers, we dont need any new rappers. This ain’t Wal-Mart where you can just come fill out an application and get hired. It’s a process, it would take an outside cat years to actually become a respected member of the click. We’re in a stage of trying to achieve growth on a business level more so than just recruiting artists. N.I.P. is working on a new cd called The Dark Horse, i haven’t heard any of it but i know its gonna be heated.

HIPHOP4EVA (ThaHed): Do you feel a seperation between Southern Hip Hop and other regions? if so why do you think this happens?

K-Rino: Yeah there is a separation but it ain’t got nothin’ to do with us. We’ve always embraced other regions, particularly the East Coast. The problem is they always disrespect US. Not all of them, but they have this perception that Houston has no skilled rappers. Don’t judge us from the mainstream cats you see, come to this underground and we’ll show you whats up homie. I’m tired of these fools talkin’ down on the artists in my city who are keepin a light shining on us. Mad because they ain’t sellin no records and Mike Jones, Flip and others are goin’ gold and plat. If they wanna pick on some Houston rappers come see ME and i’ll rep for the ones yall feel aint “lyrical” enough and imma try to single handedly stomp a verbal mudhole in anybody who think it aint real down here. I consider myself the big brother of the H-town artists. I’m the defender of the house, y’all go out and get y’all’s money lil homie, i’ll handle these cake mc’s for y’all and i mean that.

HIPHOP4EVA (ThaHed): Would you ever work with artists in other regions? lyrically i would like to see yourself go toe to toe with lyricists like GZA from Wu-Tang and several others… any collabartions you would like to get done in the future?

K-Rino: It would have to be KRS, T-La Rock, Rakim, and a few others i can’t think of, other than those names…nope.

HIPHOP4EVA (ThaHed): On the Time Traveler cover your wearing a t-shirt of Boogie Down Productions - By Any Means Nessecary, has that album been influential to you, is that why you wore for the album cover?

K-Rino: KRS is my all time favorite rapper, MC, whatever. That dude had such an effect on me when I first heard him that i can’t describe. I love BDP, that particular album is a classic, so i had to pay tribute to one of the best and underrated ever. Still rippin just as hard as ever, i might come with T-La Rock on my next cover.

HIPHOP4EVA (ThaHed): At the end of the day what album, verse, or moment are you most proud of in your career?

K-Rino: I’m most proud of the album or verse that people say changed their lives or woke them up or made them think, or led them to GOD. This is more than music, this is about helping and feeding people with the gift GOD gave you. Not waisting it and i’ve done my share of that. So when a person tells me they cried listening to one of my songs or a certain song helped them get through a problem in their life, thats the biggest thing for me. The praise i get from the lyrical songs makes me proud but i believe the uplifting and knowledgeable songs that touch people in a positive way make GOD proud.

HIPHOP4EVA (ThaHed): When it’s all said and done, what would you like the world to remember K-Rino as?

K-Rino: A person who cared.because i do. I care about the conditions of people in the ghetto and people in general. I pray to GOD to be put in positions to help people. That’s what it’s about homie. I ain’t perfect but i want people to know i cared.

HIPHOP4EVA (ThaHed): Any future projects or things goin down that you would like the people to be aware of?

K-Rino: Go get the Time Traveler cd its out now…the Head Hunters compilation will be out next month and me and Dope-E are doing the new C.O.D.. album due out in September of this year.Don’t bootleg or download it, go support it the right way. I ain’t gonna cheat you on subject matter or skill content so don’t cheat me out of my loot, feel me? oh im single again too and lookin’ so whats up ladies? (laughs)

HIPHOP4EVA (ThaHed): Any final words to the fans, the haters, the sleepers?

K-Rino: All praises due to ALLAH. Check out our site www.southparkcoalition.com and hit me up on www.myspace.com/spckrino

HIPHOP4EVA (ThaHed): Thanks for your time